How to Grow, Harvest and Use Holy Mole Peppers
One of the things that brings me satisfaction is going out into my garden to harvest fresh, healthy foods and then cook with them. Each year, I experiment with new varieties of peppers, tomatoes, and many other herbs and vegetables. A few years ago, I came across the holy mole pepper, and it quickly became a favorite. In this article, I'll discuss how to grow, harvest, and use Holy Mole peppers.
What is a Holy Mole pepper?
The Holy Molé pepper is a hybrid pepper similar to the pasilla pepper. Its long, smooth peppers eventually turn dark chocolate brown.
How big do holy mole peppers get?
The immature green peppers are 7 to 9 inches long and can be harvested in about 85 days from transplanting. If the fruit is left on the plant, it will mature to a dark chocolate color. The pepper flavor is nutty and tangy. Mature plants are 3 feet tall, a perfect size for patio containers.
How hot is a Holy Mole pepper?
Holy Mole peppers range right around a very mild 700 Scoville heat units (SHU), while pasilla chilies range from 1,000 to 2,500 SHU)
How do you grow a Holy Mole pepper?
- Plant the seed or transplant in fertile soil in a sunny location after the threat of frost.
- Use a fertilizer formulated for vegetables.
- Keep the soil moist but not soggy or the roots will rot.
How to Harvest Holy Moly Peppers
The peppers are meant to be harvested for mole sauce once they outer skin turns a deep chocolate color. When used raw, they can be harvested at any color.
How to use Holy Mole peppers
The pepper will ripen from green to a chocolatey brown color. But don't limit this pepper to only "Holy Mole Sauce. "It can be used for many culinary purposes, such as soups, stews, seasoning rubs, and salads and sandwiches.
The Holy Mole pepper was cross-pollinated to create the perfect pepper for mole sauce. When the pepper ripens to its mature chocolatey brown color, it can be dried and crushed into powder for mole use. The powder also has the perfect flavor in soups, stews, and as a rub.
Using Holy Mole Pepper Fresh
But don't overlook the Holy Mole in its fresh form, either. This chili has thick walls – thick enough to allow for stuffing (though the slenderness of the chilies does provide a challenge). It also works very well as a salad or salsa chili when in its youthful green color stage.
Where can you buy Holy Mole peppers?
While not common in supermarkets—at least not labeled as Holy Mole peppers—being an AAS selection has made these chilies relatively easy to source at gardening centers and online in our shop.
Growing from Seeds or Transplants
You can buy Holy Mole pepper seeds and young plants ready for transplanting. If you are starting from seeds, you will need to start the seeds indoors several months before you plan to transplant them outside. With transplants, be sure to consistently wait until overnight temperatures are above 70 degrees to ensure optimum growth.
If you want to create authentic mole sauces—from the garden to the stovetop—then the Holy Mole is the optimal choice. More peppers, faster and healthier, mean more delicious mole sauce to enjoy year-round.
More Gardening Help
If you're looking for even more detailed information, check out our gardening section of the website. If you still have questions about planting, growing, and harvesting radishes, let me know in the comments section below or contact me through our private Facebook group.
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